It Was Just Paper
by Crimson-Eyes26
Summary: A one-shot that goes with my story "A Family That Cares". Young Donatello is making a special present for his older sister, but when she has a bad day at school, will she be receptive of it? Rate and review.


Author's Note: This is a little one-shot that ties in with my popular story "A Family That Cares". It's about five year-old Donatello and his sister Cheyenne, and the day that their close bond is tested. When you've had a bad day at school, what happens when you take it out on your little brother who's trying to do something nice for you? Rate and review!

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Cheyenne sighed when she and her father walked in through the front door, her face contorted into a sour frown. It wasn't easy being eleven years old, especially when you were eleven years old in a classroom full of idiots who hated you for being creative…smart…and having a gift they didn't. She hated school with a passion, and it wasn't because of the homework. She just wanted to go lay down on her bed and sulk. In a couple of hours her mother would have to leave for work, which meant it would be just her father, herself, and her little brother Donatello.

Donnie was lucky he didn't have to go to school…and the reason was obvious.

He was a five year-old mutant turtle.

She could still remember the night her mother and father found him on the doorstep of their old house; a five year-old memory forever etched into the back of her brain. She was six…he was basically a newborn. At first she hated the thought of having a sibling of any kind…but from that day forward she swore to protect him no matter what. And whenever she felt horrible, he always knew what to do to cheer her up.

But today would be a test of that bond.

As she walked down the hall to go to her room, she could hear rustling coming from it. That was weird…but maybe it was one of the cats…but the rustling sounded like paper. Along with that, she could hear footsteps on the carpet…footsteps that didn't belong to a cat. What would Donatello be doing in her room with her not there? She was about to get her answer when she pushed the door open…and she wasn't going to like it.

Cheyenne's mouth gaped open and her backpack slowly fell out of her grasp and onto the floor. Donatello was sitting on the floor with a bunch of paper, some shredded and some not, along with a pan of liquid and a brush of sorts. She recognized it a papier-mâché, as Donnie was putting the pieces of paper in the liquid and taking some out to put on whatever he was making. But it wasn't a look of awe or surprise…it was a look of horror on her face. It wasn't that he was making a mess or making it in her room…it was what he was using.

The papers he was placing in the watery glue-like liquid…were her drawings.

"Sissy, you're home!" The five year-old turtle cheered. "This was gonna be a surprise, but it's okay!"

The eleven year-old's hands started to shake. "M…m-my drawings…"

"We ran outta newspaper, so I had to get some paper in here; you had plenty! You're really gonna like this!"

"My…drawings…"

Donatello noticed the look on her face and his gap-toothed smile dropped. "Sissy…what's wrong?"

Cheyenne's face finally fell out of shock and contorted into what could best be described as pure uninhibited rage. Her hands clenched into fists so tight her knuckles turned white from the lack of blood. Her teeth grinded together as she took a deep breath and shouted.

"MY DRAWINGS!"

Donatello gasped when his sister came forward and grabbed him by the wrists, so hard that he yelped in pain. She yanked him forward to her old toy box and watched in horror as she sat down and laid him across her lap. He started trembling when she pulled down his shorts to expose his rear and stared with frightened maroon eyes when she lifted her hand in the air.

Their mother and father were sitting in the living room watching the news and drinking coffee when they heard an unholy scream coming from the hall. They both got up from their seats and went to see what all the commotion was about. When they reached Cheyenne's room, they both looked to see the girl harshly spanking the turtle, causing him to let out painful sobs. Their mother rushed in and immediately grabbed Donnie off of her lap as their father yanked the girl by her wrist into a standing position.

"What's wrong with you!?" Charlie shouted. "Why did you hurt him!?"

"That stupid butt wrecked my drawings!" The girl retorted. "For some stupid thing or whatever! It's not my fault; he needed to be punished!"

"Well you didn't need to spank him!" Sandi argued. "He didn't know any better!"

She was immediately angry with her parents now too. Not only were they getting after HER, they were taking Donatello's side. Just because he wasn't human didn't mean he deserved special treatment or all the attention, or at least that's what she thought. She stared at the weeping turtle with eyes that spewed venom before shouting out, "I hate you, Donnie!"

Those words seemed to make Donatello cry even more. Having your sister mad at you was one thing, but having your sister mad at you and then tell you that she hated you hurt worse than sticking a knife through your leg. He just buried his face into his mother's shoulder and sobbed, turning his head away when their father went in and gave Cheyenne a taste of her own medicine, and he covered his ears when he could hear her start screaming and sobbing.

As for Cheyenne, after rubbing at her now-burning rear, she just let out a cry of rage. She walked over to the thing that Donatello had been making with HER drawings, the ones she worked days on, and smashed it against the wall. Once it was shattered…that's when it dawned on her what she did and why she did it… Her day at school was horrible, sure…but she took her anger out on Donatello and there was no excuse for that. And she remembered the shape of the papier-mâché object he had been making. It was…it was shaped like a heart.

He must've known that she hated school…and he was just trying to do something within his power to make her feel better. And now…she completely destroyed that. Cheyenne trudged over to her bed and collapsed onto it in pitiful sobs.

A few hours passed and Cheyenne had fallen asleep, her face buried in her damp pillow. Honestly, she didn't want to wake up…she didn't want to wake up ever again after what she did. She felt something on her leg; it might've been Shadow wanting some of her attention. But it wasn't the feel of a cat's paw…it was someone poking her leg. The brunette begrudgingly woke up and raised up to see who it was. When her reddened eyes focused, she gasped.

It was Donatello.

The little turtle was still sniffling and she noticed what was in his hands. It was several pieces of paper that had been ripped up but put back together with tape. She immediately recognized them as her drawings. Donnie breathed in a big sniffle and stared at his sister.

"I…I put your drawings back together, Sissy…" The turtle mumbled. "I didn't know…h-how important they were to you…"

Cheyenne stared at what he did. Even after she exploded at him…even after she told him she hated him…he still showed her that he cared. Her lips started trembling again and she buried her face into her knees.

"Bro-Bro…I-I'm a monster… I had a bad day at school…a-and I took it out on you…" She paused and coughed from the amount of sobbing she had done. "A-And I smashed the thing you were making me… I…I don't deserve to be your sister…y-you're too nice to have a monster for a sister…"

Donatello furiously shook his head, sending tears flying everywhere. "Sissy, you're not a monster! I know that and Mommy and Daddy know that too!" He paused and pressed the taped-up papers closer to his chest. "I-I'm really sorry…I-I wrecked your drawings…"

The brunette chewed on her lower lip, and then she got up off the bed and picked up Donatello to sit up there with her. However, she kept him sitting in her lap to where he was facing her, his legs resting on her hips, and she hugged him tightly.

"It was just paper, Donnie…" Cheyenne mumbled. "I can't believe I got mad at you over paper…"

Donnie just buried his face into her neck. "I-I'll just ask Daddy for more newspaper next time…"

"Donnie…" The brunette murmured. "I…I'm the one who should be sorry… I shouldn't have spanked you so hard…and…I shouldn't have said…that I hated you…" She wrapped her arms securely around his shell. "I…I love you so much, Bro-Bro…"

Donatello just smiled at her, despite the fact his eyes were still red and filled with tears. All he did was plant a quick kiss on her cheek and say, "I love you more, Sissy!"

Cheyenne wore a trembling smile; Donnie had to be an angel from Heaven to be this sweet. The two didn't realize that their father had just come in from tending to the garden to wash off and just happened to see the two interacting positively again; their mother was already at work. A smile formed on his aged lips…happy to know his daughter and adopted son were on good terms once again.

Donatello suddenly hopped down from his sister's lap. "I'm gonna ask Daddy for some newspaper and make you a new present!"

"Hey…Donnie?" Cheyenne asked, making her brother stop in his tracks.

"Yeah?"

The girl furiously wiped at her eyes before hopping off the bed and straightening herself up. "C-Can I…help you with this one? Can we…work together on it?"

The turtle instantly beamed and showed off his gap-toothed smile; he was waiting for her to ask him that. He instantly took her hand and answered, "Yeah! It'll be even BETTER with the both of on working on it!"

Cheyenne just smiled and held tightly to her brother's hand as they walked out of the room. "…Thanks, Donnie."


End file.
